"Mr Oswald, lovely to meet you properly," Danny reached out a hand to shake Dave's. It was slightly awkward but then they were both a little nervous about the situation.
A slightly awkward silence followed so Clara stepped in. "Dinner will be ready soon. Dad can you help Gran?" she asked and he nodded, disappearing again. Clara breathed a sigh of relief and put her arms around Danny.
"We need to serve my love," he told her, kissing her head. "It will be fine."
Clara sighed, standing up. She walked over and started to organise plates and Danny helped her out, serving the dinner for them all. "All ready?"
"Seems to be. Shall we?" he asked.
"Actually looks pretty good, thank you for this," she smiled. "I love you."
"You'd better," he winked and picked up two plates, carrying them through with Clara following behind. They placed them down on the table, Clara serving her Gran and herself with Danny placing his infront of Dave and finally on his own placemat. They both sat down.
"Well this looks wonderful darling, I'm very impressed," Dave told Clara.
"It was Danny's idea to be honest, I was stuck for ideas. He works magic in the kitchen," she smiled and picked up her cutlery.
"Well you clearly make a great team," Clara's Gran perked up and winked at Clara who rolled her eyes - Gran was clearly going to be a liability tonight. "So have you told Daniel about your bridesmaid job?"
"It's hardly a job Gran, and it's Danny," she corrected her.
Danny looked up at Clara between mouthfuls, "Bridesmaid?"
"That doctor and nurse from the hospital," her Dad answered before Clara could, "didn't realise how close they were."
"Oh yeah they really care about her," Danny told him, "Hayley won't let anyone else in the department treat Clara, she knows exactly how to deal with her. Wonderful woman. Sounds great anyway, I'm sure she will look gorgeous in her dress."
Dave nodded in agreement before adding, "oh I have no doubt, she has her mother's good looks." Both Clara and her Gran stopped eating in shock at his comment and her Gran dropped a knife. "What?"
Clara couldn't bring herself to say it, "I think, dear," her Gran started, "that's the first time you've compared Clara to Ellie since her death. It's lovely to hear."
"Do you have any pictures of Ellie when she was Clara's age?" Danny asked. Clara shot him a look, afraid of what might happen next, but he took her hand under the table.
Dave surprised them again however, "you wouldn't be able to tell the difference, I'll find some after dinner," he smiled and carried on eating. Danny squeezed Clara's hand lightly and smiled and everyone took up their cutlery again.
The rest of the meal was filled with general chit chat. Dave and his Mum questioned Danny liberally about his family, schooling and what he wanted to do in the future. Clara was beginning to lose the will but Danny kept assuring her he was fine.
Danny helped Dave load the dishwasher, both of them forcing Clara to stay sat down although she did move to the living room. When they'd done Dave disappeared upstairs to get the albums and her Gran had gone to have a rest in her room leaving them alone for a couple of minutes.
"My Dad asked about you earlier. We are going away in a week for 5 days and there's a spare bed in the apartment, he wondered if you wanted to come. I know the change would be different but I can talk you through where we are going because we go every year," he told her. Clara considered this for a moment.
"I would love to come, but…" she glanced towards the stairs, "it'll be a whole other problem convincing my Dad."
"Well, I'll keep getting on his good side tonight and then maybe mention it tomorrow?" he asked. Clara smiled gently and nodded, resting against him. "Tired?"
"Very. Didn't realise how much all this would take it out of me," she yawned.
Dave walked back in at that moment, "you two okay?" Clara could see his slight unease at her resting on Danny's shoulder and she sat up although this was mostly to allow Danny to move so he could see the pictures. "I found what I was looking for. Ellie made this to show Clara when she was younger."
"Wait, is that the one with my baby photos in the back?" Clara asked and Dave grinned. "No that's mean!"
"Too late," he chuckled and opened the album, flicking through a few pages. "Aha, there we go - here's Ellie at Clara's age."
Danny sat forward and looked, "oh my gosh, that's ridiculous they look exactly the same?!"
"I know, it's unreal sometimes. Clara has the exact mannerisms of her mother too," Dave explained.
"Stubborn?" Danny started and Clara hit him gently. "Point proven."
"Cheeky sod," she rolled her eyes.
"Definitely stubborn, but loyal too, cares for everyone," Dave smiled up at his daughter who returned the gesture. "We're very lucky."
"I can't believe you two are actually bonding over this," Clara put her head in her hands to hide her blushing. Danny put an arm around her.
"He's right though," Danny whispered to her softly. "You okay?" he asked a little louder.
"Tired. Dad can we go upstairs?" she asked.
"No, not together. You can stay down here, I'll go in the dining room," he replied a little too sternly, but Clara tried not to take it to heart. Dave stood up and took the album back upstairs, grabbing his laptop and reappearing before going through to the dining room, at least he shut the door.
The silence between the two teenagers finally broke as Clara sat up and turned to Danny, "you okay?"
"More than," he smiled and kissed her head. "You look shattered, lie down," Danny moved so his legs were flat and Clara shuffled herself to rest her head down on his lap. "You've been doing wonderfully you know?"
"Hardly, but I'm doing my best," she spoke quietly. "I'm lucky really, to have so much support."
Danny wanted to argue, but before he even opened his mouth he noticed Clara had fallen asleep and so sat back, just watching her as she rested.
It was a good couple of hours before Dave came into the room, "Clara I-" he started and then realised she was asleep, practically curled up on Danny's lap. "Ah, sorry," he lowered his voice. "How long has she been out?"
"A couple of hours. Not sure she's waking up before tomorrow to be honest, she's out for the count," Danny replied in a hushed voice, stroking her hand back where it had started to fall into her face. "Could I carry her upstairs?"
"You're better placed than me," Dave replied and nodded. "I'll follow you up."
Danny stood up, picking Clara up carefully as he did. She stirred slightly but quickly settled back down. He started walking upstairs with her, taking it slowly to keep her steady. When they got to her room Dave opened the door and lay her down on her bed, kissing her head without thinking before going to stand up, but Clara reached out and wrapped her arms around him. Danny almost fell over onto her but managed to stop himself. He lay down beside her, not being given much choice. Once he was sure she was settled he looked up at Dave apologetically. He looked uneasy and had clearly been considering grabbing Danny and pulling him away, but something had stopped him. Dave was looking straight at Clara now.
"She looks so peaceful," he spoke without looking away, "more than I've seen her in months. She looked like… like her Mum, when she slept. The little smile on her face, that glint you can almost see in her eyes even though they're shut. That's down to you," Dave told him.
"How can you tell?" Danny asked.
"Because Ellie told me that with her, it was all down to me," Dave smiled. "She's not going to let you go anytime soon, you can stay, but the door is staying open."
It was a step forward, quite a big one really. "Thank you," Danny replied and Dave nodded, not saying anymore as he left the room. Danny settled down, pulling out his phone to text his Mum before placing it on the side and resting his arm around her, watching her sleep until he drifted off himself.
#-#-#-#
Clara woke up first the next morning and was surprised to find Danny in the bed beside her. She sat up and stretched out a little before standing up. Her Dad was around downstairs and she wanted to talk to him. Once she'd had a quick shower and thrown some clothes on she went downstairs, walking into the kitchen to find her Dad by the kettle.
"Morning love, did you sleep well?" he asked, grabbing another mug from the cupboard. "Where's Danny?"
"Very, I think I've been asleep for awhile…" she looked at the clock briefly, "Danny's still asleep, I have a strong suspicion he'll have spent too long awake worrying about me before he actually slept. Um… how come he's still here?"
"You wouldn't let him go," Dave shrugged and Clara knew he wasn't going to say anymore, so accepted that.
"Fair enough. Anyway, Danny and I were talking last night. He's going away with his parents next week for 5 days and they've invited me to go along," she started, but Dave shot round and his face said it all before he even spoke.
"No way," he told her. "No, you barely know them, it's a new place, I won't allow it."
"Dad you let him stay overnight!" Clara pointed out, "Danny will talk me through everything, it'll be fine!"
"Staying overnight in your own home is different, hell staying overnight in his home is different, going away for 5 days, where even are they going?" he asked.
"France, a small village just outside Paris, his parents own a place there," Clara explained. "They never go for very long at a time because of the café but it's an easy journey," she carried on but he wasn't being convinced.
Dave handed her the tea he'd finally got round to finish making before sitting down at the breakfast bar. "Clara you've only just recovered, it's not safe or wise, I'm sorry but it's a no," he told her.
Now wasn't the time to argue and Clara just turned around and made her way back upstairs without saying anything. Danny was just waking up when Clara walked back in and she sat down on the bed beside him. "You look annoyed," he observed with his still half asleep eyes. Clara shrugged and handed him the mug of tea that she suddenly didn't really fancy. "What's up?"
"I asked Dad about the holiday, he's point blank refusing," she sighed, "I thought after last night he'd be in the right mood but clearly not." Clara leant her head on his shoulder.
Danny sipped at the tea but put the mug down so he could put his arm around her, "hey, there's still time. Maybe I can talk to him, he can meet my parents if he wants."
"Mmm, maybe," Clara looked up and kissed him gently. "I love you."
"I love you too, we'll sort this," he told her. "For now, can I shower?" Clara nodded and stood up, finding him a towel. "Finish the tea, you need it more than me," he smiled and kissed her softly and reassuringly before going off to the bathroom.
Dave was sat down with his Mum when they went downstairs. Danny had held her hand down but Clara let go when they got to the bottom, ignoring her family as she went into the kitchen to sort breakfast. Danny didn't follow however and stopped to talk to Dave. "I understand Clara spoke to you about the holiday."
"She did, and I told her my answer. It's too dangerous for her, what if something happened over there? It's a lot of new situations and new people and she's only just recovered," he told Danny bluntly, but in his defence Danny could see he was simply concerned for his daughter.
"I understand your concern, but I wouldn't leave her side you must know that. I know it's hard but even Clara knows she can't be wrapped in cotton wool, she has to try new situations. I can tell her about everything in advance because we go there every year so it's not new to us," he was calm and polite about it, not giving Dave a reason to kick off.
"Maybe she should go Dave…" Clara's Gran perked up from the corner, "it might be good for her to get away."
"I've made my decision alright?!" he almost shouted, not really at Danny or his Mum. Danny decided to leave it there and nodded, walking through to the kitchen. Clara had obviously been listening and sighed, leaning into him.
"There's still time. He's just worried about you and he has every right to be," he kissed her head, "how are you doing? You should eat." Clara nodded and stepped back, "pancakes?"
"You know me so well," she smiled and kissed him again, "let me help. You get the pan warmed and I'll make the batter."
#-#-#-#
It got to 2 days before they were due to to and Danny was beginning to doubt himself that Dave would change his mind. "Still no luck?" his Mum asked when he got back to the cafe and Danny shook his head.
"To be honest I'm getting fed up of trying to have the conversation without really having it. I understand why he's so worried, but I just know how much Clara wants it and I can see it, even if she keeps telling me it's fine," he sighed, leaning against the counter.
His Mum put a mug of tea in front of him and put a hand on his arm, "we've got 48 hours. That's plenty enough time," she smiled.
"We?" Danny asked, looking up.
"Consider me staging an intervention," she winked at him before leaving him to take an order. Danny stared at her for a moment, not a clue what she was on about.
Danny went home with his Dad after the café had shut as his Mum went on to yoga. Gina walked in the right direction for a few moments until the car had disappeared round the corner before turning and walking the other way, the direction of Clara's house. It was a bit of a walk, but around 35 minutes later she spotted the door number she was looking for and walked over, knocking it.
Clara heard the knock. Her Dad was upstairs so she got up and walked over, opening the door slowly. She was very surprised at the sight behind the door. "Gina? Um… hi, what are you doing here?" she stepped outside the door and pulled it almost closed behind her. "Is something wrong? Is Danny alright?"
"Danny? Oh yes, he's fine love. He doesn't exactly know I'm here actually. I was hoping to speak to your Dad," she explained. Clara realised what was going on here and shook her head.
"It's no good, he's not changing his mind," Clara replied, "I'm sorry, I wanted to come but-"
"Hey, it's not over yet. Clara please let me try?" Gina asked one more time and Clara paused a moment before nodding, opening the door and leaving it for her to follow.
"Dad, visitor," she called upstairs, not telling him who it was for now. Dave came downstairs a minute or so later, Clara had already gone to put the kettle on.
Gina stood up when he came in the room, "we met before, I'm Gina - Danny's Mum. I wanted to talk to you about the holiday."
"I already told Clara-" he started.
"I know, and neither she nor Danny have anything to do with me being here tonight, infact Clara tried to get me to leave, but I just want to give this one last shot - parent to parent," she explained. "We all worry about our kids, believe me I know how it feels, but I really think this would be good for Clara."
"You barely know her," Dave pointed out.
"I know, nobody knows Clara better than you, but she talks to Danny a lot. He wouldn't leave her alone and he knows exactly how to deal with her," she told him. "I know what happened before happened on our watch and believe me, Phil and I are sorry but Clara is adamant it's not our fault."
"She's right, it's not their fault Dad," Clara told him as she walked in with two mugs of tea, handing one to each adult, both of whom thanked her. "I'll call you everyday you know that?"
"I know that," he replied and sighed. "Alright fine, you can go on one condition."
Clara dreaded to think what it was, "go on then," she asked her Dad's serious face.
"I get at least 2 presents," he suddenly smiled and Clara rolled her eyes, hugging him.
"Thank you, and I promise I'll find you something," she smiled.
"I had better finish putting this order in for work," he told her. "Dinner soon?" Clara nodded and watched him go.
"I don't know how you did it, but thank you," Clara told Gina. "It means a lot that you want me to come."
"You're welcome anytime you know that," Gina smiled and rubbed her shoulder, they both sat down on the sofa. "It'll mean alot to Danny too, he's been going for years so it's a special place for him."
"I can't wait to see it, it sounds wonderful. Danny has already shown me photos, it looks incredible. How long have you had it?" she asked.
"As long as we've had Danny really, been there at least once every year since. It's a holiday let the rest of the time so it doesn't sit unused, but it'll be the first time we've taken anyone else with us," Gina explained, "you must be special."
"I'm nothing special, not really," Clara shrugged, looking down slightly out of embarrassment.
Gina reached over and took her hand, "oh Clara you have no idea do you? You made a miracle happen, Danny is so much happier since he's been with you."
"Really? He seemed happy before," she looked up again.
"Oh no he wasn't the same boy. He pretended he was happy, maybe even believed it himself, but he wasn't. Jackie practically controlled him, we were never big fans."
Clara thought this over, she hadn't considered how unhappy he might have been with Jackie, "Well, I'm glad I could make a difference, he deserves to be happy."
"As do you sweetheart," Gina smiled and put her mug down on the table, now empty. "I'd better get going, promised I'd pick dinner up on the way home. You should give Danny a ring and let him know the good news," she smiled and got up. "I'll see myself out, I know you're meant to rest."
Clara nodded, thanking her again and watching her leave. She reached for her phone once the coast was clear and called Danny. He didn't take long to pick up of course, "hey, how you holding up?" he asked. When he had last seen her Dave had just refused once more to let her go and almost thrown Danny out, he would hardly be expecting the smile that was sat on her face.
"Pretty good actually, your Mum just left," she told him.
"Mum? She's at yoga," Danny replied - so he really didn't know then. "What was she doing-" he suddenly remembered what his Mum had said earlier, "she spoke to your Dad?"
"And somehow convinced him," she told Danny.
"What? Really?!" Clara could hear him sit up from where he'd clearly been lying on his bed. "You're coming?"
"Yep, I don't know how she did it but she did. We're going on holiday."
"That's the best news I've heard all day," Clara smiled at how happy he sounded. "I love you."
"Love you too, I'll ask Dad if you can come over tomorrow and talk me through everything, I'm gonna start dinner now."
"Alright, let me know. See you tomorrow?" Clara agreed and hung up.
#-#-#-#
Dave went into work the next morning as both Clara and her Gran were now strong enough to look after themselves. He'd agreed for Danny to come over and so 10am on the dot there was a knock at the door. Clara opened it to find him on the doorstep carrying a folder and his laptop, she raised an eyebrow a little but he just smiled and walked in. "Trust me by the end of today you'll know the area like the back of your hand," he smiled and Clara shut the door behind him.
They sat on the sofa and Danny took her through everything. He showed her photos of every area in the house and he'd even drawn a floor plan as well as a map of the town they were staying in. "Where did these art skills come from?" she asked.
"Not something many people know about," he winked and carried on, taking her through all the different areas they usually went to.
They had a break for lunch, Danny making sandwiches while Clara sat on the breakfast bar and watched, swinging her legs. "I am meant to be the host here," she pointed out.
"And I'm meant to be looking after you," he grinned and chucked his phone to her. Her Dad had actually text him. "He cares a lot about you."
"Yeah, stealing your number from my phone… remind me to change my password," she rolled her eyes. "Well you're doing a grand job."
"I'm glad. I've made some for your Gran as well, is she in her room?" Clara nodded and got down, taking the plate from him.
"I'll go, you take ours through and I'll be with you in a minute," she smiled and kissed him to say thank you before going through.
Her Gran was sat in the armchair reading when she went in. "Here, Danny made lunch," she smiled. "You don't have to stay in here you know? In fact I'm pretty sure Dad told you to 'keep an eye' on us," she chuckled and put the plate down.
"Oh I'm perfectly comfortable and you two are happy enough. I trust you," she told Clara, "not that your Dad doesn't, he just hasn't quite realised how mature you've gotten yet. Thank Danny for these, they look lovely."
"Will do. You know where we are if you need anything," she smiled and walked out into the living room. "Honestly my Dad and my Gran couldn't have more different opinions on this relationship, pretty sure Gran would have us moving in together next week if she could." Danny chuckled as she sat down and tucked her feet up, leaning against him while she ate. "Sorry am I in your way?"
"Only takes 1 hand to eat a sandwich," he smiled. We always go to the same places when we go, outside of the town I mean, so I'll show you them after we've eaten."
"It all looks so lovely, your Mum said they got it when they had you?" she questioned before taking another bite of the sandwich.
"Um, yeah something like that. I've got a lot of memories there that's for sure, it's my favourite place. In fact my one and only surprise is my favourite spot in the world, but nobody is ever there so you'll be fine I promise," he smiled and kissed her head, putting his empty plate down.
"I trust you," Clara took his hand with hers and squeezed it. "I can't wait."
#-#-#-#